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Monday, December 7, 2009

Potato Soup - Blue Monday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It's difficult to glamorize potatoes. It's much easier to sing their praises. The nutritionally dense potato is a near perfect food. Conquistadors, returning from Peru, brought the potato to Europe, where it's value as a food crop was quickly recognized. It was less expensive to grow than grain or legumes and it was much easier to store. The potato spread as rapidly through the new world as it had through Europe. According to the USDA "a diet of whole milk and potatoes would supply almost all of the food elements necessary for the maintenance of the human body." Prior to the potato famine, a single acre of potatoes and the milk of one cow was enough to feed a large Irish family, a boring, but nutritionally adequate diet. Today's soup is a perfect example of what can be done with the inexpensive potato. For the next several days we will be experiencing unseasonably cold weather in the Pacific Northwest. To my mind, there is no better way to fight the chill than a bowl of steaming soup. This is one of those recipes that I throw into my "of cabbages and kings" category. At it's heart, this is great peasant fare, but with a bit of tweaking it becomes a vichyssoise worthy of a Bourbon prince. I have a 10# bag of russet potatoes in my pantry. I paid $1.29 for that bounty. I use approximately 1-1/2 pounds of potatoes in this recipe. Salt, pepper, some onions or leeks and a bit of butter and heavy cream complete the ingredient list for this soup. I can make a nice lunch or light supper for six people for under three dollars. You can't go wrong, unless you hate potatoes. Anything you fancy can be added to the soup base. Think along the lines of bacon and cheddar cheese and you can see where this simple recipe might take you. Here's the base for an absolutely delicious soup.

Directions:1) Heat butter or oil in a 4 to 5-quart saucepan until hot. Add onions and simmer, until onions are soft, about 10 minutes.2) Add potatoes, water and salt to pan. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 to 50 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender. Mash vegetables with a fork or pass through a food mill. A blender will turn this to paste, so don't be tempted. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Add whatever else your heart desires and serve this screaming, steaming hot with crusty bread and a salad. Yield: 6 servings.

Cook's note: 1) If you want to make vichyssoise, pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve and chill. You will need to adjust salt before serving.2) While there is no other seasoning used in this soup, some find it has too much salt. If you are watching your salt intake, add salt, a teaspoon at a time, to taste. I will continue to use the amount specified in the recipe.

73 comments
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Oh Mary you just made my day! We were out to dinner last night and my son tried to order potato soup-they were out. I promised to make him some- this looks perfect. I will let you know how it goes. Thanks!

Hi Mary.. It's cold in Texas right now..and potato soup is my favorite soup. A sure fire cure all for the common cold..I am definately going to try your recipe. It sounds delicious. Yummmmmmmm. Thank you for the recipe and happy Blue Monday.

Beautiful potato soup. Mary, this is the true basis of our ancestors in Europe. Every European country made potato soup, one way or another. I don't think we, as Americans, realize how the potato sustained so many.

I love Potato Soup and yours looks so inviting.Love the snow scene but not the shovelling part. Today we are expecting some flakes, actually the first of the season. So....this means I have to dig my boots out of the basement. :-(

Mary, whoever plowed that beautiful drive would definitely love a bowl of your delicious potato soup. Your soup reminds me when I was young showing horse during late Fall & early winter in Aiken, SC. The concession stand was run by a sweet lady, Mrs. McMurtry, who made the best potato soup ~ always steaming hot. I sipped it like a hot cup of coco to stay warm while braving the outdoor elements.

Your snow is beautiful, your blue plates are beautiful and that potato soup looks beautiful. I'm making a different version of potato soup tomorrow and will probably post it. Here in Denver we only have about 6 inches with another 8 - 12 expected tonight. LOVE snow.

Hello Dear MaryIt's been a long break for me. Yes I had so much fun being with my dear friend, and having my 3 kids together was also very special.We just received our first sprinkle of snow this morning. It's picture perfect. Looks like you have a little more than us, which is unusual for this time of year... for us that is.Your soup looks very yummy, but I must say the blue plate just popped out!.Happy Blue Monday MaryLove Claudie from Canadaxoxoxoxo

Mary this sounds so good! I think I'll make some this week. I usually make mine a little different in that I use chicken stock and also had one carrot but I'm going to try yours. Yummy ♥ I hope you are having a nice week.

One of my favorites! Great for a foggy, soggy day.Thanks for coming by and for your faithful visits. I have been in a bit of a blog freeze, but I bet a bowl of your soup-of-the-day would do wonders.Happy Monday Blessings ;-)

Mary you always have such wonderful surprises with each of your posts. I hope you have a book deal in the works...you should! Can I be one of those people who gets to comment about all of your wonderfully delicious recipes???? Pretty please:) Thanks for stopping by.

Hi Mary, thanks for your visit to my place today.I am thrilled to see a recipe for potato soup.My husband loves it and I have never tried to make him any of this soup..I am going to try your recipe and surprise him..

Shy, the snow was from an adventure we had while living on the East coast many years ago. We are very, very cold here, but have no snow as yet. I just love the blue hue on the snow in the picture and thought it would be great to use on Blue Monday.

Potato soup mmmmmmmmmmm I need that right now. It's so awful being sick.You really don't feel yourself. ANd with the cold days, you just want to curl up in bed and eat warm soup.

On a lighter note, I liked your Christmas memory too. It's nice decorating the tree. I feel like eventhough I may not have lots of Christmas decor at home, just as long as I have tree then it's all perfect :-) And how cute is the practice of your family where every child gets to participate in the decorating :-)I think it is just a picture perfect moment.

Grant, I'm sorry that you had problems with 1 tablespoon salt. It is not an error. I hope you noticed that the recipe calls for a scant tablespoon of Kosher salt. There is a difference in the strength of Kosher and regular table salt. I will add a cook's note to the recipe regarding the amount of salt used here. Mary

I'm 250 miles or so up I-5 and I remember that whole month as being the worst of my 57 years here. This soup sounds lovely (a few cloudy days and I'm in winter mode already). Thinking I'll add some spicy chicken sausage, kale + corn bread and call it a hearty supper.

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